Canada’s defined benefit pension plans increased their solvency levels in 2019 and have equity markets to thank, according to Mercer. The Mercer pension health index, which represents the solvency of a hypothetical plan, increased to 112 per cent in the final quarter of the year, up from 105 per cent at the end of the […]
MSCI Inc. is awarding emerging market status to the MSCI Kuwait Indexes as the country’s equity market now meets the required criteria for reclassification. The reclassification will be part of the MSCI’s May 2020 semi-annual review. In late October, the Kuwait Capital Market Authority resolved to amend certain provisions of the executive bylaws and rules […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is committing US$225 million to the India Resurgence Fund platform, through its wholly owned subsidiary CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. The IndiaRF is a distressed-assets buyout platform, jointly sponsored by Piramal Enterprises Ltd. and Bain Capital Credit. It seeks to buy distressed assets by purchasing existing debt and equity securities, either through bankruptcy courts, directly from […]
OMERS Ventures, the venture capital investing arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, has hired former Uber Technologies Inc. executive Jambu Palaniappan to join its London office as a managing partner. Palaniappan joined Uber in 2012 and led its expansion into the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions before being named the general manager […]
While a recession may not be likely, institutional investors can expect dampened performance in many capital markets heading into 2020, according to Bill Yun, executive vice-president at Franklin Templeton’s multi-asset solutions business, at an event in Toronto on Tuesday. Forward-looking expectations for capital markets from Canadian government bonds to emerging market equities are all in […]
Alongside other investors, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing in Top Aces Inc., an airborne training services provider. The Quebec-based company, which was founded in 2000 by a group of former fighter pilots, provides training to air forces around the world, aiming to enhance the operational readiness of combat forces. “Top Aces is a […]
With India attracting the attention of Canadian pension plans, what opportunities and risks exist in the country? Across all asset classes, 2018 saw US$47 billion in foreign investment transactions into India, according to Sanjeev Krishan, deals and private equity expert at PwC India, during the Canadian Investment Review’s podcast “Pension Passport.” And this year could very well surpass that number, he […]
In its November, semi-annual index review, MSCI Inc., implemented the third increase in a series of planned increases to China A shares within its emerging markets indexes. Within its China index specifically, MSCI will be adding 204 new constituents, mostly mid-cap companies. The inclusion factor of the existing shares will also be increased. China A […]
As market uncertainty causes a slowdown in Europe’s economy, an accommodating central bank and negative interest rates are making its bond markets more attractive to institutional investors than those in the United States. “Europe is a very export-led economy and Germany, in particular, is driven by exports to the rest of the world,” said Rod […]
Depressed bond yields are stoking institutional investor concerns over global growth prospects for the coming year. “We’ve seen a similar pattern across the world,” said Alec Young, managing director of global markets research at FTSE Russell, in a webinar on Tuesday. Alongside struggling yields, other leading economic indicators, including U.S. manufacturing data, have markets increasingly worried. However, […]